By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW — Even as water levels have crested and begun to recede slowly, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources on Tuesday announced boating restrictions on some Kosciusko County lakes.
The DNR issued a release on Tuesday stating that watercraft restrictions are in effect for the Barbee and Tippecanoe Lakes Chain and Lake Wawasee.
The order has restricted the use of motorized watercraft on the Barbee Lakes Chain, which consists of Kuhn, Big Barbee, Little Barbee, Irish, Sechrist, Sawmill, and Banning Lakes in Kosciusko County, due to high-water levels.
Also, DNR places idle speed restrictions on motorized watercraft on the Tippecanoe Lake Chain, which consists of Lake Tippecanoe, Oswego, James Lakes, and Lake Wawasee.
Widespread flooding in low-lying areas last week has been reported across many lakes and along part of the Tippecanoe River in Oswego, where the water rose to nearly nine feet — just four inches short of the record.
Meanwhile, about 16 volunteers worked on Monday after the trails in Winona Lake were temporarily closed due to flooding and damage.
About ten trees that had fallen across the trails were removed, said Mike Cusick, with Kociusko County Velo Cycling Club, which oversees the privately-owned trails.
The trees were mostly dead or dying, and the wind from the storms knocked them over.
Cusick said another cleanup effort is planned before the Fat & Skinner Tire Festival.
Two of the trails remained closed as of Tuesday.
You can follow updates on the trails here.
More rain is expected on Thursday, but a meteorologist with the National Weather Service said he does not expect it to make fooding conditions worse.
